Main menu

Search

iOS

With Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference coming in two weeks, Leo says right now isn't a good time to upgrade your laptops, as most likely new MacBooks will be announced, along with previews of the latest macOS and iOS operating systems. But if you want to get a new iPhone or iPad, go ahead, as Apple probably won't announce those until the Fall.

Chris says that smartphone cameras have gotten so good that most people are leaving their DSLRs at home. To that end, Chris says there's some great apps that can help make your smartphone pictures be all they can be.

Christine hates the iPhone Calendar. She wants her Google Calendar to be the default. Rich says that iOS is sandboxed and there's no way to set a default app that would send her information where she wants. Rich recommends going into the iPhone's calendar settings and setting Google Calendar as her main calendar. Then all she will see is the Google Calendar. It's still using the iPhone calendar app, but it's all her Google Calendar information. That's about as good as she can get it.

Ryan would like to learn to program so he can get a job coding. Leo says the first place to start is with the Stanford iOS course on iTunes. It will give him a step by step on how to code for an app. Leo also recommends a program called How to Design Programs (HTDP).

Mike just upgraded to iOS 11.1 and he's wondering if turning off Background App Refresh and Location Services will save battery life. Does it make a difference? Leo says that he would do that for privacy issues rather than battery life. It's a good idea to change it to use his location only when the app is working. Apple would let him decide both by app. Leo does recommend leaving it on for his maps app, though. Apple does a very good job of managing battery life, and in most cases, turning off all those services is a finesse he doesn't need to really hassle with.

David is looking at the Google Pixel 2 XL but he's worried about losing accessibility on his iPhone. Leo says that Google isn't going to take their apps off iOS any time soon. The Pixel 2 XL is a worthy contender if he chooses to make the switch. Both are great phones. One argument in Apple's favor is that from a security point of view, he's safer because their ecosystem is closed versus Android's open source approach.

Victor's iPad has stopped working for streaming. It says the audio stream isn't available. Leo says that his old iPad has an OS that may not support the current standard anymore. iHeartRadio was probably updated and it simply no longer will work with it. What can he do with it? Leo says that's the sad part about planned obsolescence. Technology that is perfectly good, but times have passed them by. Leo doesn't like it either.

Chris needs an app to create a live stream on a budget. Leo just saw a great tool on both Android and iOS that uses camera phones and Wi-Fi to connect and then uses one device to act as a switcher. He should check out Switcher Studio. It does just that, but it's currently iOS only. Cinemaker is another one. It also is just for iOS, but the Android version is coming soon. Chris could also look into Manycam.

Rob is a professional photographer and he wants to use an iPad Pro to capture his images from his camera. Leo says that there are shortcomings here, because the camera connection kit by Apple doesn't really work well, and the iPad can't read RAW files. So he'll have to look at JPEG images. That's why Leo gave up on it. Canon has an iOS app that would enable him to wirelessly transmit photos to his iPad if his camera has wireless capability. It works quite well. The only other option would be to use his Mac and then copy the photos over from there.

John and his wife share an iCloud account and whenever his wife makes a phone call, it appears on his phone and vice versa. Why is that? Leo says it's because they're sharing the same Apple ID. They will also be getting the same text messages as well. Leo recommends having separate iCloud accounts and Apple IDs. Then share the contacts, calendar and other data with a shared Google account. That way it won't impact their phone calls, text messages, etc. All they'll need to do is add that account in their phone's mail, contacts, and calendar settings.